The Adventures of Team MGNA
by WateryMind
Summary: A lone wolf. A bubbly berserker. An snarky gunman. And a proper lady. Together, they are Team Magna, Hunters and Huntresses in training. This series of drabbles follows their lives at Lantern Academy and beyond. No real order to the drabbles, they come as they come. Lotsa OCs, if you don't like them, not for you. Rated M for safety reasons, violence, themes and unladylike language
1. Initiation, Part One

**Initiation, Part One**

_It's not the fall that kills you. Famous last words_, Markus mused as he fell through the air. He had heard that the initiation at Lantern Academy was brutal, but he hadn't expected to be thrown from a helijet into the air above a canyon. As the air currents buffered him, Markus heard small cracks as he fell. Looking below him, he say small flashes in the canyon, other would-be Hunters and Huntresses using their weapons or Aura to arrest their fall. Markus then looked at the approaching canyon top and realized that he was running out of height, fast.

_Can't use Romulus. Too heavy, especially with Remus. Hmm..._ Markus then was buffeted by a rather strong current as he fell below the canyon lip, sending him on a collision course with the canyon wall. _Well, that works_. Twisting his body, he pulled his greatshield from his back, before quickly and hastily tying one of his jacket's tails to it's grip, before hooking his foot under it's compacted lip. He then twisted his body so the greatshield was toward the canyon wall, pulled his beloved Romulus from his back and gave the greatshield a pat and the sword a kiss.

_I love you both, but this is gonna hurt_. He then focused and bolstered his Aura to full strength, and braced himself for impact.

The first time he hit the wall hurt. Even through the thick metal of Remus, and his Aura, Markus immediately knew that he would have, at the very least, bruises. The second impact hurt less so, whether because it wasn't as violent, or his mind simply ignoring. The third time Markus gripped the hilt of his beloved Romulus in both hands with as much strength as he could, prayed to the spirits of luck, and rammed the blade into the canyon wall. The immediate and sudden jolt nearly ripped his arms out of their sockets, if not off completely. But he, and his Aura, held, and Markus felt his descent slow, before coming to a stop completely, hanging a good 20 feet above the treeline. He then sighed and released one hand from his sword's hilt and patted his greatshield.

"Good boys," he muttered, before untying the knot connecting his greatshield to his now rather stretched jacket tail, grabbing it before it fell and returning it to it's place on his back. He then felt Romulus shift, and looked up to see the sword slipping. _Well shit_. Markus quickly looked around him, searching for something to leap to. Spotting a tree below him, he growled softly. _This'll either kill me, or save me._ He then wrenched the sword out from the canyon wall at the same time as pushing himself off, before falling into the trees below.

_Snap. Crash. Thud. Bang._ Markus fell, hitting quite a few branches on the way down. Just when he thought his Aura couldn't handle much more, he finally landed, painfully, on solid ground. Groaning as he pushed himself up, he quickly rolled to the side and, in one practiced motion, switched Romulus to it's ranged form and swept it up so it was resting on his arm, ready to fire at anything that moved. He waited, listening, watching, panning his massive weapon around him. Satisfied that a Grimm wasn't about to introduce him to the concept of death, Markus finally stood and stretched his sore _everything_. After indulging his aching body for a few moments, Markus looked around and took in his surroundings. The forest he stood in wasn't as large as he had expected, or as thick. The fairly well spaced trees in fact have rather large and expansive branches that interlinked and weaved with the branches of other trees, giving the illusion, from above, that it was densely packed. Turning, Markus say the canyon slope upwards into the wall he was so very intimate with a short while ago. Following it to his left, he saw that it carried on into the distance. _Headmaster Nort said that there were two temples, one at each end. May as well follow the wall. I'll reach the end eventually._ Shrugging Remus from his back, he threaded his arm through the grip and shouldered Romulus, before beginning his slow trudge through the forest.

Markus made steady, if not slow, progress. The sound of the helijet had long since faded, as had the sound of other student's weapons, Auras and cries of excitement and/or terror. Walking alone, in silence, the only sound the thump of his feet and the gentle _clink_ of his armor shifting as he walked. _Just the way I like it_, he thought with a small smile. He then stopped as he heard a sound in the distance. A small cry, followed by several gunshots. _Another student._ Markus stopped, looking towards where the sound was coming from. _If nothing else, I should go and help them, if they need it._ Markus then shifted the weight of his greatshield and broke into a run, moving towards where the gunfire was originating.

Markus ran past a tree and into a sunlit clearing. The blast of sunlight blinded him for a moment, until he brought his shield up, blocking some of the harsh light. Scanning the clearing quickly, he saw a few smaller Grimm, Beowolves either dead or dying, scattered around. Further ahead, he saw more Grimm, Beowolves and an Ursa, converging on the source of the gunfire: Another student clad in navy blue, firing rather bulky looking pistols as fast as she could work the triggers. Gritting his teeth, Markus pushed Romulus into ranged form, before charging forward with a wordless cry. Both student and Grimm turned to look at him as he rushed forward, the girl taking the chance to dump her magazines and insert fresh ones. Then, she resumed firing as Markus inserted Romulus into it's niche on Remus and opened fire. The booming thunder of the Dust fueled shotgun drowned out the girl's pistol weapons, which Markus noted, in a rather distinct manner, seemed to have axe blades as sights. But then a Beowolf leaped at him and the world around him disappeared, replaced by the clash of bone claw on steel shield. Markus dug his heels in as the creature slammed a clawed paw against Remus, the blow making him shift backwards. He then pushed the creature back, blasted it with Romulus, disengaged the sword from its brother, smashed the shield into the creature before, with another cry, he reverted Romulus to it's melee form and separated the Beowolf's head from it's shoulders. Not wasting time on dramatics, Markus pushed past the creature's body, smashed aside a Beowolf with Remus, blasted another with Romulus and, with barely a moment to spare, tackled the girl to the ground as the Ursa swung a massive paw at her, knocking her to the ground. _Injured pride and bruises are preferable to loss of important limbs_, Markus reasoned. He then looked down at the girl, only to see vivid green eyes staring back. _Well then._

"Markus Serryvolk," he said bluntly. The girl nodded.

"Nikita Bleumari," she replied. Nikita then wiped up her weapons and pulled the triggers, blasting a Beowolf above them. Markus took the hint and rolled off of her, before whipping his greatshield violently and smashing aside another Grimm.

"Five Beowolves and an Ursa," he said. He heard gunfire and a screeching cry. "Four Beowolves." He then felt something press against his back, and instantly he felt... Something. _Safer? Protected?... Pack? _He didn't have time to muse, as he watched the remaining Beowolves circle around them. He heard a pair of faint _snaps_, and tilted his head to see Nikita now holding a pair of rather vicious looking axes.

"What's wrong? You scared?" she asked, twilling the axes in her hands. Markus chuckled, before shouldering Romulus and bringing Remus in front of him.

"Hardly. Wondering just how unfair this is for them," he replied softly. Nikita gave a sharp laugh.

"Let's find out then!" She then gave a cry, jumped onto Markus' shoulders and, using him as a springboard, leaped _at_ a Beowolf. _Okay. I like this girl._ Markus then gave his own battlecry and charged forward, introducing a Beowolf to Remus in a rather violent way.

The battle was short, vicious, and completely in the pair's favour. Markus had blasted one Beowolf with Romulus, before smashing Remus' edge down on the neck of the one already grounded, generating a sickening _crack_. He then heard a cry of "Wolf!" and he immediately brought his shield up and shuddered as a thundering blow broke across it. A frustrated roar from the Usra morphed into pain as Markus felt another, small blow on the shield, followed by several gunshots, before a red liquid dripped from the edges of Remus. The Ursa staggered backwards, minus one paw, as Nikita slid off the other side and landed beside him. Glancing to the side, Markus saw two more Grimm corpses, their necks and chests brutally hacked apart. Flicking Romulus to ranged form, he levelled the weapon at the Ursa and fired two thundering shots. At the close range they were at, the shots torn through the beast's knees, rendering it unsteady. Markus then charged forward and with a rather loud cry slammed Remus into the beast, sending it toppling over. He then twisted his body as Nikita jumped over him, before launching her upwards. He then continued turning, firing Romulus' Dust mechanism as he turned, superheating the edge of the blade as the vented dust ran along it. He then used the momentum of the twist to drive Romulus downwards into the beast's belly, searing it's flesh as he drove the blade into the Ursa. The cry of pain it gave was silenced a moment later as Nikita landed on it's skull, axes first. And then the battle was over.

Markus wrenched Romulus from the Ursa's corpse, cringing in disgust at all the blood staining the blade. _Don't worry Brothers, I'll clean you later. _He then returned Romulus to it's magnetic clip on his back and wandered to Nikita, who was struggling to free one of her axes from the Ursa's bone-like mask. Reaching past her, Markus gave the axe two quick tugs, before wrenching the weapon out on the third. He then offered the weapon to the girl.

"Thanks," Nikita said,accepting the weapon from him and standing, looking down at her, Markus realized that he towered her, relatively speaking.

"No problem. Partner," he said. Nikita paused and looked at him. After a few moments, she grinned and extended a hand.

"I guess we did match gazes during that," she said. Markus nodded, taking her hand and beginning surprised by the strength of her grip as they shook. "Oh come on Wolfboy, I'm not gonna break." Markus shook his head, smiling softly, before pausing.

"Wait. How did you-" Markus was cut off Nikita jumping over him and landing on his shoulders, her legs hooking around his neck gently, prompting a rather surprised Markus to bring a hand up to make sure she wasn't going to choke him.

"Your eyes. And... Ahah!" Her quick search was reward as she patted down Markus' rather messy mane of hair, revealing two fur covered wolf ears, the same dark grey colour as his hair. The pair twitched as they were uncovered. "These, are not as well hidden as you think." Satisfied, Nikita unfolded her legs and allowed herself to fall from Markus' shoulders, landing on her hands before twisting and standing on her feet once more. Then, her face lost some of it's latent glee.

"Why were they hidden?" She asked. Markus shrugged.

"I've been called monster more then once. Freak, more then that. Didn't want anyone freaking out on my account," he said softly. Nikita chuckled, her hands resting on her hips.

"You sound like a puppy. A big, strong, lost puppy. Besides, I like them. Suit you," she said. Markus felt his cheeks warming at the praise, and quickly moved to divert the conversation.

"So. Temple?" he asked. Nikita nodded, looking around.

"I saw it as I was coming down. I think it was... Ah! That way," she said, pointing to her right. Looking, Markus saw nothing but trees in the distance. _Hopefully she's right. I was too focused on not becoming abstract art to see where they were._

"If we follow the wall of the canyon, we'll find it eventually," he said, pulling Romulus from his back and clicking the weapon into ranged mode, before pulling on the hilt, pulling it out and exposing the weapon's chamber. _One shell left, partly used. May as well eject it._ He popped the remaining shell out, before reaching for his belt pouch and pulling out four more shells.

"Good point. Lead on, Wolfboy?" Nikita asked, grinning. Markus chuckled, pushing Romulus' chamber back into place and priming the weapon once more.

"Naturally," he replied, before shouldering the greatsword and walking in the direction she had pointed, the girl clad in navy blue following behind him. _Nice to know she's got my back. Better knowing I got hers._

**A/N: First attempt at a RWBY fanfiction, following my golden rule of AVOID THE CANON STORYLINE IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. Hope you enjoy :D**

**Notes: Markus: Profile can be found at r/RWBYOC/comments/1rz81w/needing_some_critique_on_an_oc (link typed as such cause last time I check, FF do not likey linkz. His last name is a bastardization of the english spellings of the russain words for Gray and Wolf.**

**Nikita: If she comes across flat, it's because she's not a fully realized character yet. I took the concept of 'Dual axe wielding Nord chick' and ran with it. Her last name is a bastardization of the French words for blue and navy. **


	2. Initiation, Part Two

**Initiation, Part Two**

Markus jogged slowly, the dusty ground beneath his feet cracking slightly when his feet thumped down. Having followed the canyon wall for, by his reckoning, an hour, the tall defender and his recently acquired partner had long since left the sparse forest behind, the pair now trekked along a rather dusty path through a rocky field. Nikita had been fuelling a conversation while they had made their way through the forest, but at Markus' request she had fallen silent, enabling him to focus his hearing on their surroundings.

Nikita. The girl in blue was strange to Markus. _So happy and... Carefree. But the second a Grimm shows up... _Markus shuddered slightly as he recalled the one time a Grimm had crossed their path. The beast's roars had morphed to cries of fear and pain, followed by them begin silenced in the space of a few seconds as Nikita had leapt at it and _destroyed_ it's body with her axes, the bloody mess left behind barely recognizable. _She has some grudge against the Grimm. __Wouldn't want to anger her. Ever._ Blinking away his thoughts, he looked into the distance and saw...

"The temple!" Nikita's voice confirmed what Markus thought. Unfortunately, her voice was also rather loud, and several angry squawks and roars announced to the pair that they were no longer alone. Looking at Nikita, Markus gave a small sigh.

"Sorry," was her sheepish reply. The pair then looked behind them as a flock of birds took flight. Easily the size of Nikita, the Grimm's wings seemed to darken the sky around them.

"Nevermores?!" Nikita cried, pulling her axes from her belt and switching them into their pistol forms. Shaking his head, Markus slung Remus back to it's resting place on the powerful magnetic clamps on his back armor.

"Darkbrans. No point trying to fight them. We run for the temple," he said. Nikita nodded, and the pair took off as fast as they could, the flock circling around after them.

* * *

The pair moved quickly, escaping the rock field and coming onto open ground. The flock of Grimm, however, were faster. Soon, the pair were being pelted with feathers as sharp as razors as the flock flew overhead, prompting Markus pulled Nikita close and shield her with both Remus and his Aura. The pair kept moving, until...

"Oh come on! Why is there a bridge?" Nikita cried out, skidding to a stop. Markus growled in annoyance as Nikita inspected quite possibly the world's most frail looking rope bridge, extending across a chasm. Looking down, Markus saw a rather long drop down into a fast running river.

"At least none of the planks are missing," Markus noted, wondering why he even noticed that. Hearing a collective _squawk_ from the Grimm flock, Markus spun and raised Remus as another hail of feathers impacted against the hardened metal. He then heard a pained cry, and looked to see Nikita stumbling towards the edge of the chasm, a feather embedded in her shoulder.

"Nikita!" he cried. He spun and grabbed her with his free hand, before pulling her towards her, at the same time slinging Remus across his back once more. Then, his eyes twitching, Markus heard a dull _crack_ and looked up to see a bright streak sail over his head into the swarming flock of Darkbrans. A moment later, there was a _bang_ followed by a large number of the flock begin shredded apart by some unseen force. Looking up, Markus saw a faint glint from the steps to the temple.

"Markus... I don't feel so good... I think the feathers are poisonous..." Nikita mumbled into his shoulder. Standing, Markus lifted Nikita into his arms in a bridal carry, before breaking into a run, as fast as he dared run across the bridge.

To say that his crossing was fearful was an understatement. For the would-be Hunter, the bridge crossing that day was one of the most terrifying things he had ever done. The sound of the Grimm bird's cries, eager to feast on the wounded and weakened Nikita, behind him. The sound of feathers impacting against the wood of the bridge, and against the shield across his back. Markus' only comfort was whoever was firing round after explosive round at the ever-present flock, forcing the creatures to scatter repeatedly. As Markus finally reached the other side, he noticed that the fire had ceased, and for a moment his fear was redoubled. But then he ran past a crumbling pillar and spotted a purple clad figure standing behind it. The figure stepped out from behind the pillar, before raising what appeared to be an umbrella. Before Markus could even question it, the flock gave off another cry and another rain of feathers was flung towards them. As Markus gave off a cry, the figure, a young woman, looked at him with unseeing eyes and smiled. Then she depressed a button on the umbrella's handle, the umbrella unfurled, and a massive glowing barrier sprung into existence. The feathers were caught in the barrier, as were a few Darkbrans too slow to correct their course. The woman then twilled the umbrella and snapped it shut, and the feathers and corpses were flung at the flock. The resulting rain of blood and mangled birds made Markus cringe a little. He then heard a whistle, and Markus turned to see a young man a few inches shorter then he was approaching, a strange rifle in his hands, dual pistols hanging from his hips, and a massive weapon of some kind hanging from his back in a sling.

* * *

"Bit of a mess you made, Alicia," he said. The young woman chuckled softly, her hand covering her mouth.

"I apologize. I must have not seen it," she replied, resting her hands on the umbrella as if it were a cane. The young man gave a hoarse bark of laughter, before pulling a fairly decent sized cowboy hat from it's hanging place across his shoulders and placed it on his head.

"Walked right into that, didn't I?" he said. He then looked at Markus, and the rapidly paling Nikita. Walking over, he looked at the girl's face, before gripping the feather and yanking it out. Nikita gave off a pained cry, and Markus felt a growl leave his throat unbidden.

"Easy now, big man. The feather was making things worse. She should be fine, though she'll have to flush the poison out," the man said. He then pulled a small vial from his belt and uncapped it, before pressing it against Nikita's lips.

"What is that?" Markus asked. Cowboy Hat pulled the vial away and recapped it before speaking.

"Something to flush some of the poison out. I would put her down if you value your clothes," he replied. Markus nodded, before setting Nikita down gently. Not even five seconds later, Nikita gave an uneasy groan, before turning and emptying the contents of her stomach onto the ground. Stepping back a few feet, Markus scanned the skies quickly, and noticed that the remaining Darkbrans had left.

"Why did they leave?" he muttered softly. A small chuckle made him return his gaze to the purple clad woman, who tapped her umbrella against the ground gently.

"That would be me. My Semblance allows me to conceal my Aura, and that of others around me, from the Grimm. Among over things, as you saw," she said, tapping the ground again. Markus looked at where the umbrella met the ground, and noticed a faint glow whenever the tip touched down. _Glyphs. Hmm. _

"So, what's your name wolf man?" Cowboy Hat asked, stepping into view beside Umbrella Lady. Markus coughed, his ears flattening against his skull unconsciously.

"Markus. Markus Serryvolk. That's Nikita Bleumari, my partner," he said. Nikita waved weakly, her stomach now very empty. Cowboy Hat grinned and nodded.

"Gavin Brownson. And this, is the lovely Alicia von Violettila," Gavin said, placing a hand on Alicia's shoulder. Alicia smiled at the contact, turning her head towards Markus.

"It's nice to meet you," she said, curtsying. Markus nodded, before asking the obvious.

"Are you blind?" Gavin grimaced at the question, and Alicia tapped him on the shin with her umbrella.

"Gavin, please. It's fine." Returning her attention to Markus, she smiled. "Yes. I was born with severely damaged retinas. By the time it was noticed, I had lost all my eyesight." Markus cringed slightly, and shifted his weight, feeling rather awkward. Chuckling, Alicia's smile didn't fade. If anything, it grew.

"Don't feel bad, Markus. I don't remember having sight, so I know not what I'm missing. Besides, I have Gavin to act as my eyes, when needed." The young man of the pair grinned, shouldering his rifle. Markus looked at the pair, and realized that they must have known each other for a very long time.

"And, of course, I can get away with saying 'I didn't see that pun coming'," Alicia added, her smile morphing into a smirk. This earned a weak chuckle from Nikita, a stronger one from Markus, and a weary groan from Gavin.

"When are you going to stop using that one?" he asked, giving Markus a look that gave the faunus the impression that he had heard that pun more then once.

"As soon as people stop falling for it," Alicia replied. Rolling his eyes, Gavin stepped away from Alicia, gripping his rifle with both hands and looking across the chasm.

Following his gaze, Markus saw a number of Grimm gathering on the far side.

"Beowolves. Drawn by the smell of the Darkbrans' blood. They don't need to sense our Aura to find us," Gavin explained. Nodding, Markus walked over to Nikita and offered her a hand. Looking up at her partner, Nikita groaned and grabbed the offered hand, staggering slightly as Markus pulled her to her feet.

"Feeling better?" he asked, his voice layered with concern. Shrugging, Nikita pulled an axe from her belt and clicked it to ranged form.

"Not really. Still feel like shit. But I can walk, at least," she replied with a crooked grin. Nodding, Markus turned to Gavin and Alicia.

"We get our relics, and get out," he said. Alicia nodded.

"Good plan. There's a path leading up the cliff face, behind the temple. We saw the tiltjet land at the top earlier," Gavin said. Nodding, Markus turned and made his way up the path towards the temple, Nikita following close behind.

* * *

Inside the temple, Markus noticed a large number of pedestals arranged along the walls of the main room. On these pedestals were...

"Tools," Nikita said, inspecting a paint brush. Nodding, Markus slowly made his way around the room.

"Must be a test of character. What tool do you think is the most useful," he said. Nikita nodded, before stopping in front of a pedestal. Looking, Markus saw a hammer resting on top of it.

"I always liked hammers. My dad would let me hammer nails into pieces of wood while he was working in the workshop," Nikita said softly. Markus looked at his partner, noting that her shoulders were slouched, her face down. _She's sad. Shouldn't ask about that now. Later_.

"Hammer's a good tool. Handy for putting walls up, and knocking them down." Gavin's voice echoed as he entered the main room. A faint _taptaptap_ announced Alicia's entrance a moment later.

"Can't create something, without destroying something else first. It's how the world works," Markus said, before walking over to Nikita and resting a hand on her shoulder. Looking up at him, Nikita gave a faint smile, before offering one of the tools to him. He accepted it, then jumped as Alicia spoke behind him. _How in the world did she get there?..._

"And they're simple. But effective. They have many uses, when you truly think about it," she said, nodding to Gavin. He then walked over and grabbed two more hammers from another pedestal nearby. Holding out a hand, Alicia gripped the hammer placed in it by Gavin, before slipping it onto her belt. Markus did the same, as did Nikita.

"We should get moving. That cliff's rather tall and we really don't want to have Grimm on our heels the whole way up," Gavin said. Markus nodded, before making for the exit, the other three following close behind.

* * *

The cliff path was steep, narrow and unstable. However, despite this, Markus had never felt safer. Alicia's Semblance ensured that the swarms of Darkbrans remained blind to their presence, and Gavin's rifle ensured that any Beowolves that caught their scent were quickly dealt with. Indeed, Markus' greatest concern on the trek up the cliff face was for his partner. Nikita's footing was still very unsteady, and more then once Markus offered to carry her.

"No, Markus. I have to reach the top myself. I need to," she had said after the third time he had offered. Markus had let the issue rest, instead opting to grab her whenever she swayed and faltered. As the quartet neared the top of the path, their pace increased, all eager to be done with their initiation.

* * *

Weary, sore but strangely happy, Markus staggered up the final stretch of the path, before collapsing onto the dusty ground, wincing as Remus and Romulus dug into his back. Nikita thumped down beside him a moment later. The pair lay there, the day's events finally catching up to them, watching as the clouds rolled by.

"Thanks for catching me," Nikita said softly. Markus nodded.

"Thank you for not calling me a freak," he replied. He then tilted his head back as he heard footsteps approaching.

"Well done. I take it you retrieved your relics?" Headmaster Nort asked. The man, easily in his fifties, surveyed the four with his good eye as Alicia and Gavin approached. The group held up their hammers, and the graying man nodded, the bandage covering his eye fluttering in the wind.

"Excellent. Come now. You were the last students to arrived at this temple. It's time to return to Lantern." The man then turned on his heel and marched towards the tiltjet, the ornate saber hanging from his hip shifting as he walked. Looking at Nikita, Markus hauled himself into a sitting position, and bumped his head against Gavin's outstretched hand.

"A cold drink and a comfy bed sound nice, no?" Gavin said. Markus smiled, before accepting the offered hand and getting to his feet.

"Sure do," he replied. Gavin grinned, and Alicia smiled as Nikita was helped to her feet, her face regaining it's normal full color slowly.

"Then shall we, friends?" Alicia said, before she and Gavin made their way towards the tiltjet. And as he walked towards said vehicle, Nikita alongside him, Markus' face lit up with a full, bright smile.

_Yeah. Friends._

**A/N: That took a bit longer to write. Meh. I'm happy, so that's what matters, I guess.**

**Notes: Darkbrans are essentially smaller versions of Nevermore. Much like Nevermore, they can use their feathers as projectiles. However, their feathers contain a poison that slows and incapacitates its victims, in time completely, and permanently, paralyzing them. However, if the feather/s are removed quickly enough, as Gavin did, the flow of poison is halted, and eventually flushed from the body's systems. Their name is taken from ****Brân the Blessed**, a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology, and whose name means Crow. (At least, according to Wikipedia.) They are also effectively blind, instead finding their way through echolocation and, when hunting, sensing their prey's Aura.

**Alicia's Semblance is similar to Wiess', in that she has Glyphs. However, hers are closer to traditional magic then Wiess'. If you were to look from the top down when Markus noticed that the Darkbrans had left, you would have seen a Glyph around 20 feet across centered around Alicia. And yes, her umbrella is equal parts umbrella, cane and magic staff.**


	3. Adjusting

**Adjusting**

Had Markus known how small the rooms at Lantern were, he would had made an effort to find a less rowdy partner. And had he known just how much of an effect it would have on how their room was laid out, he would have grabbed a paintbrush instead of a hammer.

* * *

The second problem wasn't that much of a problem in truth: Alicia's lack of eyesight meant that she couldn't see anything on the ground in front of her. Therefore, on their first night together, Gavin had asked, in a tone that made Markus believe that it was a demand more then anything, that they keep the floor clear of anything that could trip Alicia up. Despite Alicia reassuring them that it was fine, Markus had agreed, and had taken to simply throwing his stuff on the end of his bed as opposed to the floor. After much deliberation, and Markus nearly breaking his neck the first morning by tripping on a bag, Nikita fell into the same habit.

The first problem was simple, but far more problematic: Nikita Bleumari was loud. Very loud. When relaxed and not in a life-or-death situation, Markus' partner was loud, brash, rather messy, and unapologetic on all three counts. The first was quickly established on the first night the four were in the same room. Drawers were filled, bunk beds were claimed (Markus and Alicia taking the bottom two, Nikita and Gavin the top) and posters and pictures were put up. Gavin and Markus tacked up a small number of photos each over their beds, Alicia asked Gavin to hang a rather pleasant smelling air freshener from the ceiling, and Nikita managed to cover half the walls with posters of various rock bands.

And there was the problem. For Nikita seemed either unable, or unwilling, to understand that two of her team members had rather sensitive hearing, and took to playing her rather loud rock music on the team's shared stereo system (provided by Gavin). And, as much as Markus enjoyed the genre of music, he didn't enjoy having his hearing destroyed every afternoon. Alicia and Gavin had taken to retreating to the quiet school library whenever Nikita broke out her disc collection, and Markus was tempted to join them. However, the one time he attempted to follow them, Nikita gave him a rather pathetic and pleading look that made him stay. The smile that she had given him warmed his heart.

* * *

However, feeling good about keeping his partner company during the afternoons was rapidly outweighed by the fact that Markus' enhanced hearing was causing him no end of suffering. The music would often be ringing in his ears for hours after Nikita had had her fill, and resulted in a headache more then once. And as Nikita danced and belted out the chorus to her favorite song by the Faunus artist James Labrie, Markus' patience (which was gaining a rather legendary reputation) finally snapped.

"Nikita! Enough!" he yelled over the music, looking up from his math homework. Jumping at the sound of his raised voice, Nikita scrambled to pause the music, before giving Markus a panicked stare.

"What? What did I do?" she asked pleadingly. _Don't fall for it again. Time to put on your Team Leader hat, Markus._ Sighing, Markus shifted himself towards the edge of his bed, before swinging himself into a seated position, narrowly avoiding smacking his head against the top bunk for the 100th time.

"Nikita. We get that you like this music. I do too. But you're actually hurting me by listening to it that loud," Markus said, rubbing his abused ears as he spoke. Nikita slumped as she sat on Alicia's bunk opposite him, carelessly dislodging a book in the process.

"Sorry. It's just... This is how I unwind, okay? Alicia and Gavin go for walks, you come here and lie down, I come here and listen to my music," Nikita said. Her tone assured Markus that she was sorry, but her body language was tense, still. _She's gonna fight over this. Like always._

"Look, I don't mind that you're listening to the music. But I would like it if you wouldn't attempt to blow my eardrums out," Markus said firmly. Nikita tensed further, then glared at Markus. _Opps._

"Well it's not like I'm locking you in here with me. You could just go and join Gavin and Alicia's reading party in the library," she snapped. Markus growled softly, and Nikita immediately realized her mistake.

"The last time I tried to join them you basically begged me to not leave. I thought I was antisocial, but you wouldn't leave this room if we didn't have classes," Markus said, his tone shifting a notch towards angry. Nikita made to respond, but Markus cut her off with another growl.

"You are perfectly well aware that me and Alicia both have sensitive hearing. Alicia's hearing is more important then mine. I can deal with sore ears, but she's already down a sense. She doesn't need you ruining a second one," Markus continued, his voice slowly rising in volume.

"Well, maybe I don't want to treat you two like you're different! Maybe I just want to treat you two like you're normal!" Nikita snapped back. Her argument was flimsy, and she knew it. So did Markus. He bit anyway.

"We _know_ that we're different! I've had to put up with being bullied my entire life because of it! The only reason it stopped was because I got bigger then the bullies!" Markus snapped. Nikita fell silent, and Markus froze. Then, with a growl, he got to his feet and grabbed an object from his dresser, followed by his signature grey fur jacket.

"Markus wait!" Nikita pleaded. Her voice was either unheard, or ignored, as Markus pulled the door open, before storming out and slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Alicia heard the door slam, followed by a set of angry, stomping feet approaching her and Gavin. She heard Gavin say "What's up man?" before the footsteps stomped past her, followed by the faint scent of pine leafs that she had come to identify as Markus' deodorant.

"He seems angry," she observed, tapping her umbrella against the wall gently as she walked. Unlike most students, she was allowed to keep her weapon on her person, as opposed to storing it in a locker. The reason was simple: It was more then her weapon; It was part of her independence. Humming in response, Gavin remained silent. He then placed a hand on her arm gently, his sign for her to stop. Chuckling, Alicia smiled.

"I knew when to stop, Gavin. Thirty two steps down the hall," she said.

"Figured you would have memorized it by now," he replied, the sound of the door's lock turning alerting Alicia to the door opening. As she walked into the room, she heard the faint sound of sobbing.

"Nikita? Is that you?" she asked softly. A strangled sob was her response, before swift footsteps advanced towards Alicia and she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her.

"Alicia I'm sorry I just wanted to make you feel normal and stuff but all I did was hurt you and make it harder for us to spend time together." Nikita's sob ridden rant was cut off by Alicia feeling for her shoulders, before pushing the girl back gently and smiling softly.

"Nikita, what happened? Markus passed us on the way out and from what we could tell, he seemed rather irate," Alicia asked. Nikita gave a sob at the mention of the faunus, before Alicia pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and offered it to her. Thanking her, Alicia heard Nikita rather loudly blow her nose, before a _creak_ informed her that she had sat on Alicia's bed. She joined the blue haired girl, listening as she explained what had happened.

"Ouch. I knew he copped shit from some of the dumber guys here, but his whole life?" Gavin said, once Nikita had finished. "No wonder he's able to put up with so much shit." Alicia nodded.

"I didn't mean to make him angry. It just... Slipped out. And he took it badly," Nikita said sadly. Alicia sighed softly, before reaching over and patting Nikita's knee gently.

"He was already annoyed. He simply ran out of patience, that's all. I believe he removed himself from this room before he could hurt you two any more," Alicia said softly. Gavin hummed, a sound that Alicia associated with him nodding.

"Seems like a very Markus thing to do. Known him a week and already got him pegged as someone who would rather _not_ fight with other people," he said. Alicia nodded in agreement.

"Especially the people he cares about. He'll come back. Don't worry," she said. She heard Nikita blow her nose once more, before her weight left Alicia's bed.

"Yeah. He better, or I'll kick his ass, the silly pup. Thanks, you two," she said, before Alicia heard the door to their shared bathroom open and close, before the sound of running water echoed through the walls. Smiling to herself, Alicia set about removing her shoes, while Gavin turned the stereo's radio tuner on and fiddled with it for a moment, before settling on a station playing a soft guitar ballad.

"I'm surprised Markus fought with her. He seemed more then content to defend her any other time," Gavin said. Alicia chuckled, patting around her bed for the book she had been reading the previous night.

"Like I said, he simply ran out of patience. Now where is that book?..." Alicia's blind groping was ended when she felt something be placed in her lap. Quickly running her hands over it, she smiled.

"Thank you, Gavin," she said softly. She heard a chuckle, then felt Gavin press his lips against her hair, bringing a faint warmth to her cheeks.

"My pleasure," he said, before clambering up onto his bunk. Still smiling, Alicia felt for her bookmark, before opening to it and picking up from where she left off.

* * *

Nikita lay in silence, staring at the dark ceiling. The stereo had long since been turned off, the only sound the rhythmic breathing of both Gavin and Alicia. Which meant it was too quiet. Markus' one established bad habit was the fact that he snored softly when he slept. This missing sound was what Nikita was thinking about.

_I shouldn't have_ _argued with him._ Sighing, Nikita rolled onto her side, staring at the sleeping form of Gavin on the bunk across from her. _He's gonna hit curfew if he isn't back soon._ The moment the thought completed itself, Nikita heard the sound of the door lock moving, followed by the door opening slowly. Doing her best impression of someone who was actually asleep, Nikita listened as the door was closed again, followed by it being locked. Then footsteps, and Nikita pulled her covers over her head slowly. She then heard a rustling, followed a soft sigh as a hand gently pulled the covers back. Nikita willed herself to stay relaxed, before she heard Markus speak softly, barely audible.

"You are such an idiot. But so am I." She heard Markus sigh again, before something was placed on the bed next to her. "I'm sorry for getting angry. I shouldn't have yelled." Nikita couldn't help herself any longer; The puppy's tone of voice was edging towards sad, andit wasn't even his fault. Opening her eyes, Nikita shifted upwards slightly, looking at the faunus that she knew full well could see her clearly in the dim lighting.

"No. You were in the right. I wasn't thinking, or caring, about you three. That's not what team mates do. It's not what partners do," she said softly. Markus stayed silent for a moment, before humming softly and reaching up, before tousling her hair gently.

"Get some sleep. Math first thing," he said softly. Nikita groaned, before reaching out and returning the favor.

"Don't remind me. Goodnight pup," she said affectionately. Markus chuckled softly, before grabbing something from his bunk and walking into the bathroom. As the door closed, Nikita reached out and grabbed the object Markus had placed on her bed. Grabbing her Scroll from where it lay, she used the light of it's display to read the label on the package, and found herself smiling.

_You bloody silly puppy._

* * *

Markus approached the table where Gavin and Alicia sat, his tray piled high with the vague meat substitute that the cafeteria served most days. Looking around, he noted the absence of a head of blue hair.

"Where's Nikita?" he asked, sitting down opposite the pair. Gavin said nothing, instead biting down on his toast and pointing over Markus' shoulder. Following the finger, Markus saw Nikita seated with some of their classmates, animatedly chatting. As she spoke, Markus spotted a pair of blue headphones hanging around her neck, and smiled.

"She was wearing them this morning. I could still hear the music through them, but it's better then going deaf," Gavin said. Nodding, Markus turned back to his food and began shoveling it in. Smiling happily, Alicia tapped her fork against her plate gently, her free hand running across her open book.

"You wouldn't have had anything to do with that headset of hers, would you, Markus?" she asked. Markus said nothing, instead humming softly as he gave Gavin a rather smug grin.

**A/N: I like to think that those fancy headphones Ruby had in Episode 1 are readily available in electronics stores. **

**Writing from a blind person's perspective is a lot harder then it sounds. If it comes off as bad, well, now you know why. **

**Still avoiding placing Lantern and it's surrounding town/city/kingdom on the world. For the sake of everyone though, just assume that it's either in, or on the edge of, one of the desert areas that are on the map of Remnant that's floating around on the wiki. Lantern Academy itself is on a rise/plateau looking over a city, much like Beacon. Really the entire school is, until I actually sit down and put effort into the setting as opposed to focusing on characters, a carbon copy of Beacon. **

**But dusty. And hot. **


	4. Excursion

**Excursion**

Headmaster Nort stood in front of the tiltjets, the loose ends of the bandages around his head flickering behind him as the engines behind him roared to life. Staring at the gathered students before him with his one good eye, he raised his voice to speak over the roar of the engines.

"Today's assignment is simple. You'll be travelling to some abandoned Dust mines, and retrieving an unrefined Dust crystal each. You will be fighting in close quarters, and the mines are rather complex. So, your Scrolls have been modified with a tracking program to help you navigate your way to the exit," Nort said, holding up his own scroll as an example. He then pointed at one Gavin Brownson, who had raised the hand not holding Vergil. "What?"

"Why were the mines abandoned?" he asked, lowering his hand and gripping the smaller rifle with both hands.

"Because Grimm killed all the workers," Nort replied flatly.

"That's what I thought the answer was," Gavin said, just loud enough for his team mates to hear him as Nort spoke once more.

"You have your objective. See that it is completed. Nothing in that mine is friendly aside from your fellow students, so apply lethal force as you see fit. Now find your seats, we lift off in two."

* * *

The tiltjets cruised smoothly through the air, allowing the students on-board to ready themselves for the coming mission. Tapping her hands on her knees, Nikita mouthed the lyrics to particularly fast and heavy track blaring through her headphones. Gavin checked Nero and Credo's magazines, his faithful pistols, before slotting the magazines into place and cocking the twin pistols, before returning them to their holsters and gripping Vergil tightly. Alicia spun the cylindrical Dust reservoirs embedded in Umbra, running her finger along the lines that denoted the levels of Dust in each setting. And Markus sat with Remus leaning against his legs, Romulus between them. His hands rested on Romulus' hilt, and his head rested on top of his hands as he muttered prayers to himself, and to the spirits of protection, of luck, and of battle. Then, breaking the relative silence, the intercom crackled, before the voice of the pilot spoke.

"_Team Magna, this is your stop._" The intercom then went dead once more, and Markus looked up and took a deep breathe.

"We ready?" he asked, look to his side and surveying his team.

"Yes Markus," Alicia said, nodding and gripping Umbra tightly.

"Let's do this," Gavin said, wearing a grim smile as he adjusted his hat.

"Lets fuck shit up," Nikita growled, clicking her headphones off and punching a fist into her palm. Smiling and nodding, Markus gripped Remus and Romulus as the tiltjet began to descend. _They trust me. I hope I don't let them down. No. I _can't_ let them down._

The four coughed and covered their eyes as the tiltjet lifted off once more, to deliver another team to their mine entrance. Blinking away the dust in his eyes, Markus looked to their entrance. It looked all the part a doorway to the underworld. A gaping maw in the side of a cliff face, surrounded by rusting machines that were abandoned when the Grimm took the mine over. He didn't want to look any closer, by Markus saw that there were bones near some of the rusted machines.

"Well, ain't that welcoming?" Gavin said, cocking Vergil and walking to stand beside Markus. Nodding, Markus adjusted his grip on Remus, before turning to his team mates. Nikita was bouncing on the spot, her twin axes in her hands, and Alicia was standing in place, her hands resting on Umbra, her face set in stone.

"I'll take point. Nikita is our rearguard. Gavin behind me, and Alicia behind her. Got it?" Markus said. Her got three nods in response.

"Good plan. Now, if you three would stay still for a moment," Alicia said, before extending a hand. A small Glyph flashed in the air in front of her, and her purple Aura flared into existence, before three faint strands of it reached out towards Nikita and Markus. Upon reaching them, the stands touched against their Auras, causing them to flare for a moment; Markus' a solid grey wall around him, Nikita's a blazing blue. The strands then retreated back to their owner, and Alicia smiled.

"My, I should have done this sooner. You're rather handsome, Markus," she said happily. Markus raised an eyebrow and ignored both the feeling of heat on his cheeks, and the faint growl from Nikita.

"What was that?" he asked. Alicia chuckled and her smile grew.

"That was my Semblance. Or, rather, one of it's applications. I can manipulate Auras, see. Now, if my Aura has touched someone else's, like I just did then, well... I can see them, in a sense. It's difficult to explain," she said, walking forward and standing beside Gavin. Nikita chewed her lip in thought, then clapped.

"So it's like telepathy. But with our Auras?" she said. Alicia chuckled.

"In a sense. Now, shall we?" she said. Markus nodded.

"Lets go." And with that, Team MGNA plunged into the depths.

* * *

The mine shaft was dark, dank and stank of death. Wrinkling his nose, Markus marched down the worn track that ran down the center of the shaft, where once mining trucks and equipment went back and forth. His eyes quickly adjusting to the dark, Markus moved shield first, Romulus in his other hand, gripped tightly in it's ranged form.  
"Seeing much, wolfman?" Gavin asked softly, barely audible over the sound of Markus' armor as the four walked.

"Lots of dust and bones, but no Grimm. Yet," he added as an afterthought. Gavin nodded, before slinging Vergil over his shoulder and pulling out his Scroll.

"God that's bright. Looks like we're coming up to a central chamber. Maybe there's some crystals there," he said softly, quickly turning the device off and shoving it back into his jacket. Nodding, Markus continued forward, wincing as his boot crushed a bone to dust.

"This place has quite the atmosphere, doesn't it?" Alicia said softly. Nikita nodded, holding one axe out behind them in ranged form and the other in it's normal state.

"Yeah, it's creepy as fuck. I feel like I'm in a horror movie," she said. Alicia chuckled.

"Well, in the books I've read, the one behind the others is the first to go," she said darkly. Nikita growled, her grip on her axes tightening.

"Not helping, Alicia," Nikita muttered, ignoring the taller girl chuckling under her breathe.

The four quickly reached the central chamber marked on the Scroll. Looking around and listening for a few moments, Markus then turned to Gavin.

"Give us a flare, would you?" he said. Gavin nodded, before pulling one of the massive shells from his belt. A few muttered swears later, and a bright red light illuminated the chamber, causing Markus to shield his eyes and swear.

"Sorry man," Gavin said, tossing the flare into the center of the chamber.

"It's fine. Should have expected it," Markus said. He then coughed as he took a rather deep breath. "Place smells like death."

"I wonder why?" Nikita drawled, kicking a bone across the floor gently. Gavin nodded, looking at the various skeletons that were scattered around the chamber.

"Poor bastards got sandwiched. No way out but death," he said. Markus nodded, walking towards a covered mine cart that had been abandoned after being loaded.

"Doesn't explain where the Grimm went, though," he said, placing Romulus on its magnetic clamp and looking under the mine cart's cover. Alicia walked towards him, not tapping Umbra against the ground as she normally did.

"Markus. There's something big up there. I can sense it," she said, pointing Umbra towards one of the tunnels that branched off from the chamber. Markus nodded.

"I know. I can smell it." He then wrenched the cover off the mine cart, revealing their goal; unrefined Dust crystals of various color and size. "Guys, over here." Nikita jogged over, before reaching up and scuffing his hair.

"Good find, wolfboy," she said. Markus scratched his nose as his cheeks colored fainted, before reaching down and grabbing a bright blue crystal about the size of his fist.

"Always liked the snow," he said, before shoving the crystal into his pocket. Nikita looked at the pile of crystals for a moment, before grabbing one a deep navy blue in color. Gavin walked over and picked two purple ones, before handing one to Alicia.

"Alright, now that that's done with-" Gavin was cut off by a rumbling sound, followed by a rather loud roar echoing from the tunnel behind them.

"I think the natives woke up," Gavin said.

"You think?" Markus said, as he pulled Romulus off his shoulder. He stared down the tunnel as a glowing light came into existence, followed by another roar and an unmistakable _snip-snip_.

"Deathstalker," he said.

"We can take em," Nikita said, grinning. Then, Markus spotted another glowing light, not far behind the first.

"Two of them. Still think we can take them?" he said, looking down at the paling Nikita.

"On second thoughts, let's just run for our lives," Nikita said, her voice fading somewhat. Gavin nodded.

"For once, I'm with her. Let's make like trees and leave," he said. Markus nodded, before jogging over to where the flare had landed and picking it up.

"Let's move."

* * *

Team Magna ran as fast as they could, the pair of Deathstalkers' roars giving them more then enough reason to move faster. A series of smashes followed by crumbling rock inform them that the Deathstalkers had followed them up the tunnel.

"Alicia! Can you hide us?" Markus said as he ran, once again cursing his choice of weapons and armor.

"No! Deathstalkers aren't stupid and blind like Darkbrans. They have great eyesight for what they are. They can see us!" Alicia replied, her voice shaking somewhat. _She's scared._ Markus then looked at the blue haired girl running beside him, and saw a look of fear reflected in the flare's light. _And she's absolutely terrified. Time for that leader stuff, Markus._

"Alicia! Can you slow them down?" Markus asked.

"Depends. How badly do you want them slowed?" she replied.

"Just don't kill _us_" was Markus' reply. Alicia nodded, before spinning the Dust cylinder in Umbra to the red setting. She then quickly stopped and blindly pointed it at the mine shaft's roof behind them, before a Glyph appeared at Umbra's tip. Then, with a cry, she stabbed the Glyph, and a massive blast erupted on the ceiling. She then turned and sprinted up to the rest of her team as Gavin fired Vergil at the massive Grimm in an attempt to slow them down. The ceiling cracked under the explosion's force, before collapsing completely, crushing one of the Deathstalkers under a million tons of rock and earth. The second Deathstalker had been slightly ahead of it's fellow, and as such only it's tail had been caught in the collapse, which it was now attempting to free.

"Good work," Markus said, panting slightly. Alicia gave him a small smile.

"I aim to please," she replied. Nikita gave a cheer as the remaining Deathstalker struggled.

"Yeah! How do like that, you fuckers?" she yelled. Markus groaned.

"Nikita, please don't-" Markus was cut off by the Deathstalker roaring in pain, before wrenching itself free_, ripping it's tail off in the process_. "Taunt the Grimm RUN!" Markus spun and sprinted towards the light at the end of the tunnel, his team hot on his heels, as the now incredibly angry Deathstalker gave chase.

* * *

Markus burst out into the blazing Sanstrum sunlight, and stumbled as his eyes adjusted. Turning as his vision returned, he shouted for his team to keep running as he marshalled them past him. He then heard a roar, and reflexively raised Remus. A split second later, a massive claw smashed into the greatshield, sending Markus sprawling.

"Markus!" he heard Nikita cry as he shook away the drone in his ears. He then felt a crushing vice grip his leg, before something lifted him up into the air and slammed him down. Crying out as he felt the armor on his back crash against his instinctively raised Aura, Markus was then lifted into the air again and watched as Romulus fell from his back.

"No!" he groped for the falling weapon, before he felt something tug at Remus. Looking, he saw the Deathstalker's second pincer gripping the greatshield. A feeling of dread ran through Markus as he tried to wrench his arm and leg free. _The fucking thing is going to pull me apart! _His fear was confirmed a moment later when he felt himself being tugged in two different directions. Crying out, he then heard a rather familiar thunderclap, followed by the Deathstalker's right pincher simply _exploding_ into a shower of armored shell and gore. Crying in pain, the giant Grimm released it's Faunus prize, Markus slamming to the ground with a groan. Then, he heard familiar cry of rage, followed by Nikita's voice.

"_Get the fuck away from my Wolf!_" Looking up, he saw Nikita sprint past him, slide under the Deathstalker's remaining pincer, before swinging her axes in a crossways slash and, with another cry of rage, cleaving one of the Grimms' legs from it's body. Markus then saw a massive Glyph appear above the Deathstalker, before a massive blast of lightning slammed into the giant Grimm. The creature gave a horrendous cry of agony, before collapsing to the ground, faint wisps of smoke rising from it's form. The entire encounter had taken less then ten seconds

"What a positively shocking outcome." Alicia's voice entered Markus' ears from behind him, and he couldn't help but chuckled at the awful pun. He then heard running feet, and looked up to see Nikita flying towards him, tackling him back down.

"Don't _ever_ scare me like that. _Ever_. Or I'll fucking kill you," she muttered into his shoulder. Looking at the girl currently trying to meld her face into his shoulder piece, Markus sighed and wrapped his free arm around her.

"I'll try my best," he said softly. Nikita looked up at him, and Markus was shocked to she tears forming in her eyes.

"Good. You're my pup. An-and I don't want to lose you." She then looked over his shoulder, and Markus twisted his head to look sideways at Alicia and Gavin, who was leaning on Dante, a wisp of smoke drifting from the massive weapon's barrel. The pair were grinning, and Markus knew that he would never hear the end of it.

* * *

Headmaster Nort hopped from the tiltjet and approached Team Magna. The four stood to attention, Markus wincing as he did so.

"At ease. Looks like you four did some extra credit," Nort said, looking past the four and eyeing the rather abused Deathstalker's form.

"We encountered a threat. We dealt with said threat," Markus said simply. Nort nodded, before pushing past the Faunus and drawing his saber. He then swung the weapon, and a crescent of light sped towards the Deathstalker. It then tore into the Grimm's form, eliciting one last roar from the beast, before it fell apart, well and truly dead.

"Not quite." Nort then sheathed his saber and turned to the team. "But you did do most of the work. And survived the encounter mostly intact. I've known trained Hunters ten years your elders that have died to one of those things. You did very well. Now then, your objectives." Nort waited as the four pulled their chosen Dust crystals out. Nodding, he looked at the four students, before his lips twitched upwards ever-so-slightly.

"Well done. I'm impressed. Find your seats, and we'll see you back to Lantern," he said, his tone softening somewhat. The members of Team Magna replied with a chorus of "Yes sir", before climbing on-board the tiltjet and making themselves comfortable. Alicia and Gavin sat down, Gavin propping Alicia up gently as the toll of her Glyphs and Dust abilities caught up with her. Markus, meanwhile, placed Romulus on his seat, untangled his arm from Remus' mangled grip and set the shield down beside Romulus, before setting about taking off his damaged armor.

"That... Hurt," he muttered as he pulled off a gauntlet that was bent completely out of shape. Nikita nodded, sitting down as she watched him.

"Looked like it did," she said softly. Groaning as he rubbed his forearm, Markus then undid the main straps that held his chest and shoulder pieces on, before lifting the heavy armor over his head and dumping it on the tiltjet's floor.

"Careful with my tiltjet, boy," Headmaster Nort said as he climbed on-board, seating himself at the opposite end of the compartment.

"Yes sir," Markus replied. He then pulled off his other gauntlet, before picking up his various pieces of armor and placing them on the seat beside him before shifting Romulus and Remus over and sitting down as the tiltjet lifted off. He groaned as he rolled his shoulders gently, then rubbed his bruised arm as he leant back and closed his eyes.

* * *

The ride back to Lantern was fairly peaceful, interrupted only by the tiltjet descending to collect other teams from their mine shafts. Alicia snoozed for most of the trip, Gavin's arm wrapped around her in a protective fashion. Markus, meanwhile, stared out the window, his bruised arm held close to his body. When the tiltjet finally landed at Lantern, Gavin and Alicia left for the dormitory after depositing Gavin's weapons, intent on getting rest. Markus, meanwhile, gathered his battered armor and weapons and took it to the Academy's forgemaster. After the wizened woman assured him that the damage was easily repairable, he left his armor and his precious Remus and Romulus (which had been stepped on by the Deathstalker and had received some warping on the blade) in her care, and made his way back to the room that four of them shared.

* * *

Quite literally falling onto his bed, Markus groaned as his shoulders ached. Once the adrenaline had faded, he had become aware that basically every part of his body ached. The main sources of pain, however, were his shoulders, from when he had been slammed against the ground, and his left forearm and right leg, where the Deathstalker had gripped him with it's vice-like pincers. Lying on his stomach, face buried in his pillow, he listened to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. When he had arrived, Alicia and Gavin were leaving, citing a need for food. Nikita had returned before him, and was now occupying the shower. _Not anymore, _Markus thought, as the sound of running water ceased. He lay there for a few minutes, more then content to let his aching body rest, before he heard the bathroom door open and the sound of Nikita's footsteps nearing his bed. He then felt the bed shift as she sat on it, before she placed a hand on his head and scratched softly behind his ears.

"I was so scared, you know? When that thing grabbed you... I thought my... My best friend was going to die." Nikita then shifted, and Markus felt her press her head against his shoulder gently, her hands rubbing his shoulder blades.

"Glad to know you care," Markus said softly. Nikita chuckled.

"Shut up and rest, wolf. I'll look after you for now," she said. Markus nodded, already feeling the darkness of sleep taking over.

"Sleep, Markus. Damn sure you've earned it." As he fell asleep, the feeling of Nikita's hands rubbing his shoulder blades, and her head against his shoulder gently, comforted him.

_This is my pack. We survived today. I'm happy._


End file.
